Photo by Jonathan Hökklo
Rebuild workshop took a different approach in this three-story, late 19th century row house, giving each half of the parlor floor its own identity. The front living room remains generously laden with Victorian woodwork, while the rear kitchen/dining room is a totally new mid-century inspired space with a Californian feel, filled with light and overlooking the garden. The modern additions have been deliberately kept understated to bring out the historic character of the house. A cohesive palette of muted earth tones and warm woods continues, tying everything together.
The key to making the synthesis work: a defined threshold between the disparate spaces. “That was a challenge,” says architect Themis Haralabides, founder of the Gowanus-based design-build studio. “What happens when the front meets the back?” This central zone, with cupboards and a powder room, is painted dark, with a lower ceiling that conceals the mechanicals above and distinguishes the space from the rooms on either side. “We gave that area the feeling of a portal,” says Felipe Torres, reBuild Workshop’s lead architect for the project. “It creates a moment of transition to the more modern part of the house.”
The building has had many uses over the years, as a multi-family home and even as a yoga studio. Haralabides described the orbit as ‘an extended but not complete intestine’. When reBuild Workshop came on the scene, “it was all divided into small rooms, with a disjointed character.” The new layout includes a primary suite framed by curved bay windows on the second floor, plus additional bedrooms and bathrooms, while the garden level houses a guest bedroom, family room and home office.
The work consisted of leveling and refinishing original parquet floors, repairing plasterwork and refreshing historic woodwork. “We didn’t try to recreate something old,” Haralabides said. But they have retained some elements from the past that add character, such as cast iron radiators and decorative radiator grilles.
The largely contemporary, mid-century coded furnishings and lighting were orchestrated by reBuild Workshop’s in-house interior designer Jeff Hannoosh.
reBuild Workshop hasn’t done much to the Grade II listed exterior, apart from painting it. The front doors are original; usable windows were already present.
The new floor tile in the vestibule is contemporary, “with the look of the tiles that were used historically,” as Haralabides put it. The new homeowners moved from California. “Early in the process, we identified mid-century modern California to unify new elements such as tile and other finishes,” Torres said.
Original carvings are a mix of painted and unpainted. “We sanded things that already had layers of paint and gave them a new coat,” Haralabides said. “We made elements that existed in wood shine.”
A hanging lamp by Gino Sarfatti illuminates the front hall.
A Room & Board sofa (top photo), Maker’s armchairs from Lawson-Fenning and a six-light Dixon chandelier from the same source make up the front room.
Vintage panel doors with glass knobs in the central threshold zone were reused elsewhere in the house.
The wooden mantelpiece in the front room was moved from the back and embellished with a border of navy blue Heath tiles.
One of the main objectives of the project was to maximize daylight, largely achieved by replacing two regular windows in the rear wall with large sliding glass doors.
Custom white oak cabinets with a contemporary look were designed by reBuild Workshop. Glazed handmade Heath tiles from California provide rich color and texture.
The dining bench was also an in-house design, accompanied by a walnut table from Abrego, Danish side chairs from Design Within Reach and a pendant lamp from In Common With, a local maker.
Trendy tiles from Zia and a mustard yellow sink make the new powder room on the salon floor, accessible from the front hall, pop.
A velvet swivel chair from Lulu & Georgia and a textured rug make the master bedroom cozy.
Reflective handmade tiles from Heath bring movement to the primary bathroom wall. A semi-custom medicine cabinet and vanity from Rejuvenation continue the warm wood leitmotif.
A fun tile treatment from Zia livens up the skylit children’s pool. Every inch of available space was utilized, including the shelves in what was once an old dumbwaiter.
The home office at the front of the garden floor was painted a deep, moody green.
On the two lower floors at the rear of the house, all window and door openings are new, as are the steel deck and stairs to the backyard.
[Photos by Jonathan Hökklo]
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